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I chuckled, but it wasn’t a humorous sound. It was taunting, full of every dark promise my claim had made. She wanted to learn the hard way? Fine. I was going to enjoy bending her to my will.

‘Perhaps,’ I began, slowly floating closer, enjoying the way her breath hitched and her eyes widened at my approach, ‘you have forgotten that your little boy toy can’t help you, my sweet,naïveghost girl.’

Her scowl deepened, but she didn’t back away as I planted myself before her, barely a breath between us. She looked up at me, eyes so wide and vulnerable that I felt the need to sully her stronger than ever. I wanted to erase the light inside of her until there was nothing left but the shadows, so she could spend eternity with me inside of them.

Yet, much to my confusion, the thought of dimming any part of her caused a physical pang to shoot throughout my body, the power of which was so intense it almost crippled me where I stood. What was this girl doing to me?

‘You don’t own me,’ she tried again, but her petulance only succeeded in turning me on even more. I wanted to bend her over my knee and spank her bratty little ass. I wondered if now she had ascended to a higher state of being her ass would turn red, or if she wasn’t yet powerful enough for that. I was more than willing to find out.

Breaking her until she submitted to me was going to be the highlight of my existence, second only to when she did so without being told. I had a feeling she would always have a bratty streak, however. She didn’t like not being in control, so I wouldneed to show her that any control she handed over to me would be her choice, so much so that she would hold all the power regardless of how I manipulated her body and her pleasure.

Fuck, I was so hard my cock wasweeping. I could already tell that if my clothes were no longer in the way, a string of clear, sticky fluid would be waiting. I didn’t even care if the other man bore witness. In fact, the thought of him watching me fuck my ghost girl almost sent my over the edge. It was so hot that my shadows thrashed and writhed like they were trying to get away from the heat.

Or, perhaps, they were simply eager to join in. They twitched against me, reaching out for Kali before snapping back to me as I used every ounce of my willpower to keep them under control. They wanted to wrap around her, bind her, and pin her down so I could do with her as I pleased. But not yet. She would have to earn it.

‘I’ll tell you what,’ I started, leaning down so our noses barely brushed. I felt her breath puff against my lips, cool and icy just like her eyes, and oh-so-fucking sweet. I didn’t bother to contain my groan, my desire reaching new heights when his pupils blew at the sound. She knew I wanted her. She wanted me just as badly.

I refrained from flicking my smug gaze to the other man, choosing instead to maintain eye contact with the only one of us here that mattered.

‘What?’ she asked breathlessly, and my heart skipped and jumped inside my chest like an excitable fucking puppy at the fact that I was able to coax such a reaction from her.

‘I won’t touch you again, ghost girl. Not until you beg me to.’

I stepped back to level the man with a contemplative look. He was practically vibrating with rage, but that wasn’t all I saw flash behind his dark blue eyes. He was enjoying this, even if he wasn’t quite ready to admit it.

Interesting…

‘You can keep your little boyfriend,’ I offered, quite magnanimously, considering the circumstances. ‘But only if you behave.’

She made a sound in the back of her throat that was both affronted and turned on. ‘Excuse me?’

I grinned, the expression less one of happiness and more a baring of my teeth. A warning she would do well to heed.

‘You heard me, ghost girl. You came apart on my cock once already, but once will never be enough. You’remine. And I’m willing to share, but only if you behave.’

Both Kali and the ghost man wore mirroring expressions, their mouths opening and closing on silent gasps as they attempted to process the rules I had just implemented. Their gobsmacked expressions quickly transformed, however, when my words finally hit. Kali looked ready to tear me a new asshole, though the fire in her eyes was a combination of both her rage and her desire. She was stunned into silence as they battled it out inside her mind, so I gave her a moment to figure out which one to choose by settling my attention back on the man.

He was glaring at me now, his eyes darkening to an even deeper blue that reminded me of the darkest depths of the ocean. I could tell that this man was just as vast, just as dangerous if he chose to be, but I had only seen the surface of what this man was capable of. He was strong. He was worthy of his role in her existence, if the speed at which he had recovered from the unsanctioned burial was any indication.

Perhaps – and this thought caught me off guard even more than my sudden interest in Kali had at first… but perhaps I could have more than one companion. Could it be possible that fate had gifted me not only a lover, but a friend?

A family?

The concept was foreign, and, quite frankly, terrifying. I hadn’t wanted a family since the one I had tried to build in life had come crumbling down around me. But Kali wasn’t Victoria, and her ghost friend wasn’t James. I didn’tfeellike they would betray me, but was I truly ready to take that risk? Would I ever be?

I knew that my window of opportunity would close if I didn’t take it now. I could build a family, no longer have to wonder this realm alone, and find purpose and companionship with them both. Or, I could let them go, keep my heart closed off to the potential of being crushed yet again, and spend eternity with nothing and no one but myself and my shadows.

It had been enough for me thus far… but had it?

The answer was clearer now than it had ever been.No.I had merely been existing, my thoughts and actions stuck in the rut of kill, grow my power, and repeat. After this taste of what it would be like to no longer be alone, it wasn’t enough. Not anymore.

But something was still holding me back. There was still one more wall that refused to fall, one that even Kali had failed to penetrate. Could I give her the chance to break it down, to burrow herself into my core where she would stay for the rest of eternity? Couldhe?

Only time could tell.

‘Why?’ the man asked, shocking me enough that I had to force my expression to remain neutral and my feet to remain in place.

‘Why what?’